Picture in Picture for video streaming - How?

[Joe Forest]

I just don't know where to post this so here it is. I don't yet have Premiere but will if it can do what I want. What I want to do is what I see often in YouTube videos-where the content creator is seen in a box, often at the corner, while they are reviewing something on their desktop- such as a document or photo or video or whatever. Kinda like what you can see and do with Zoom. I have Cyberlink Powerdirector 17 and asked in their forum but a moderator was rude and unhelpful so that makes me consider getting Premiere Pro. That moderator said it can be done just with a screen savor. He didn't say how and the screen savor that comes with the Cyberlink editing program isn't working on this 8 year old Dell desktop XPS so I can't experiment with it. I don't think this "trick" is done simply with a screen savor. So, if this is a bad place to ask this question- where can I go? I have posted a similar question in the YouTube forum- got no response.

[R Neil Haugen]

You can use free OBS to setup a 'scene' where you capture from multiple sources and record. So you can have the app capture the screen of a monitor or specific app, and capture the image from a webcam setup. Resize the webcam via the "filters" options for that item in OBS so that it's small and in a corner.

Now ... that is a single recording, you can't edit later as to whether the little webcam image is included or not. A limitation of OBS.

Camtasia has the ability to record multiple things at once, put them all on a timeline on separate tracks. So in editing you can set the properties for a track and of course change as you go through the timeline.

You can try also using free OBS to capture the screen of the app you're working in, while using a camera that actually writes the image to card as your 'webcam'. Then take both recordings into Premiere and do your editing, including adding/sizing/locating the 'webcam' image as you wish.

Neil

[Joe Forest]

Neil, excuse my getting dense in my old age. I used to be fairly sophisticated with computers- but doing what I asked about is only slowly sinking in. I think I get it now- with a screen recorder (I stupidly said screen savor in my first post)- it can capture from my webcam and whatever is on my desktop (a document, photo, video, online source, whatever) at the same time. It seems obvious now- but for some reason I had trouble understanding this. Something like this was explained to me by others but not as well as your description. I have Cyberlink Powerdirector which comes with a screen recorder but it's not working with my 8 year old Dell XPS desktop. Apparently, it was suggested, I need to upgrade the video driver but I hesitate because I fear such an upgrade my mess up the computer. I was once fearless doing such upgrades but not any more. I have too much important stuff on this system. I'll be buying a new PC soon and hopefully it'll work well with screen recorders. Supposedly, the screen recorder that came with Cyberlink can call up the webcam video- and thus record that plus the desktop which is the goal. When I get the new PC I'll also either buy the latest Cyberlink or move up to Premiere-a more costly but more professional program. So, Premiere does not come with a screen recorder? Thanks!

Joe  Z

[R Neil Haugen]

Nope, Premiere doesn't do screen recordings.

Neil

[PECourtejoie]

@Joe Forest Camtasia is an application made for screen recording, and tailored for tutorials, while OBS is a jack of all trades application that is meant to do Streaming, but can also record what happens on screen and on a webcam.

You'll find many tutorials online for both apps, at all complexity levels.

Note that Windows 10 comes with a built-in screen recording application in some versions: https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/screen-record-in-windows

[Joe Forest]

PECourtejoie, thanks for correcting my idiotic mistake of saying screen saver instead of screen recorder in my reply to Neil. I keep doing that. I've been reading on the OSB web site and it appears my 8 year old Dell XPS probably won't be capable of running it. My OS is Windows 8.1. Other than that, it is or was a high powered system for 2014. I will be getting a new Dell soon and also it'll be rather high powered. Thanks for your comments.

[Joe Forest]

Neil, sorry to take up your time. I've asked about this topic in many places and you're the only one responding. So, I'm starting to get the idea. I see on the Camtasia web site that it can "Web Camera Capture". So, having it do that- while, say, I'm reviewing a video on YouTube- while running the screen saver recorder (Mod, PEC)- and I'll get what I'm looking for. The only problem is it's an expensive program. I just looked at the OBS web site but it's a bit confusing. I can't tell, so far, if it can also do "Web Camera Capture". If it can, I wonder what the downside is of this free program.

[R Neil Haugen]

I've used OBS quite a bit. And I know it is used extensively for say churches and other organizations that have routine/weekly streaming operations. And yes, it can both stream and capture the screen/camera/audio recording.

My personal understanding of how to use OBS is rather more limited than many I know. I've a friend who works it at a church near here, and he's got all sorts of graphics setup to overlay on the screen with keyboard shortcuts, and three cameras. He somehow has a split screen with each input source, and another part of the screen showing the graphics items available.

And he cuts between them with keyboard shortcuts. I've ... no idea how to setup something that complex in OBS. But it can be done.

Doing that with a "simple" screen capture is really pretty easy, but ... the OBS interface is a pain to me, nothing is "obvious". But I've setup a system where I can cut between three cameras and the input from an Atem Mini Pro switcher and any particular one of my computer monitors easily enough.

Now ... Camtasia is a better app for editing the capture. There are times I'll edit capture work, such as tutorials I create, in Pr, and other times where I'll edit in Camtasia because of the 'call-outs' available primarily. The graphic items like arrows & such that are quickly laid out on a clip.

Neil

[Joe Forest]

Thanks Neil for your lenghty reply. I wish I could afford Camtasia!

[R Neil Haugen]

Understood. You can do a lot with OBS, and it's free ... but ... you gotta work harder to learn it.

Neil